Research and Recording
Information is the key to the protection, conservation and evolution of the designed landscapes of Sussex.
Much information has already been recorded and can be found on the web sites of:
However many other sites have not been fully researched and recorded, and SGT volunteers are working to find out more about these sites from old documents and site visits. This work is important because it will help local authorities develop their own local lists of parks and gardens of historic interest and help protect our heritage
Significance - you can find out more about this key concept by looking at this link Significance .
Connections with Conservation Committee - you can find out more about this by looking at these presentaions used at the Research meeting held on 21st Oct 2015 Conservation - The GT and County Gardens Trusts and Making Connections between SGT Research and Conservation
Work of Our Volunteers
Here are some examples of research articles produced by some of our members in recent years (click links to upload reports):
Crawley Parks
In 2012 SGT was commissioned by Crawley Borough Council to prepare research reports on all the principal historic parks and gardens in the town. This major piece of work was undertaken by a team of SGT volunteers and the full report was finalised in March 2013 - a copy of each section can be downloaded by clicking the links below.
The report covers the following parks and gardens (Click each link to upload report):
Index
Broadfield Park ,
Burleys Wood Open Space
Goffs Park
Ifield Park
Land adjacent to St Nicholas Church, Worth
Memorial Gardens Part 1 and Memorial Gardens Part 2
Tilgate Park Part 1 and Tilgate Park Part 2
Worth Park and Grattons Park Part 1 and Worth Park and Grattons Park - Part 2
The volunteers working on this project were Sally Walker, Caroline Ikin, Sally Ingram, Ingrid Payne, Shirley Penny, and Maggie Weir-Wilson.
This report will make a major contribution to the protection of our garden heritage and also be of great interest to the wider community
Helping with our research?
If you have already started research, useful information to help you can be found here Research Resources
Like many of England's 35 garden trusts, SGT is working on a programme to partner local authorities throughout Sussex in creating lists of locally- important gardens. We want to offer well-researched descriptions that reveal and identify the fascinating - and often previously unknown - history of local gardens – and we are looking for members to join our small regular team of enthusiasts. No previous experience is necessary; we run excellent – free - study and training days where you can learn new – or hone existing - skills in interpreting and describing a historic garden. It's great fun – and an opportunity to work with like-minded people.
If you are thinking of helping, researching a site is both fun and worthwhile - if you'd like to know more about the process have a look at this presentation Researching historic landscapes
If you join our small research group, we provide the opportunity for you to:
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- learn new skills
- meet new people with similar interests
- enjoy the satisfaction of finding information on parks and gardens
- share the research by making it available to the wider public which will help the appreciation of our Sussex heritage
- attend study days and visits that will allow you to gain insight into the development of parks and gardens
We will also help you by:
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- providing an information pack designed to give you the back-up needed to familiarise yourself with the way the group works
- arranging visits to the Record Office in your county to introduce you to the maps and reference material available
- arranging meetings to look at the source information available outside the Record Office
- arranging visits to parks and gardens
- being available by telephone to answer any queries
There is complete flexibility as to the amount of time that a volunteer gives. We understand the demands of work, family and other commitments and only ask volunteers to contribute as much as they feel able. We also understand that some people would rather research material rather than record sites - and vice-versa.
The Research and Recording Group of the Trust would very much welcome new volunteers to help with the fascinating work of researching and recording the historic parks and gardens of Sussex. The aim is to publish a gazetteer and to include core information and research on our database which will be accessible through our website. No previous experience is necessary - we offer training and support for all our volunteers.
We divide the research work into counties - East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, and West Sussex. If you would like to discuss this work with us, please contact us by sending a message from the "Contact Us" page of this web site - click this link Contact Us
